Our Top Picks: The Best Vegan Fish Sauces for Savory Depth

It’s salty, fishy, and the go-to sauce for adding that addictive umami element to dishes like pad Thai, stir-fries, ramen, and marinades. But is there any way to make fish sauce vegan? We’ll cut to the chase: it’s a big yes.

It turns out that there are a few different ways to replicate the signature deep flavor of fish sauce using only plant-based ingredients. But if you don’t want to make it, you can buy it instead. So we’ve gathered some of the best vegan fish sauce brands on the market as well as take a look at actually just what fish sauce is.

Jump to the fish sauce brands

What is fish sauce?

It seems like an obvious answer to an obvious question, but fish sauce is, of course, made with fish. But that said, there is also a little more complexity to it. To get that deep, salty, sweet, pungent flavor, the fish must be fermented for at least a few months. In some instances, it’s fermented for up to two years.

“Small fish like anchovies are coated in salt and packed in large barrels to hang out,” explains Bon Appétit. “The natural bacterias start to break down the fish, producing a briny, fishy, savory liquid. That, friends, is fish sauce.”

Fish sauce can be used in many different dishes to add more depth of flavor, but it’s particularly popular in Southeast Asian cuisine. In Thailand, it’s a common table condiment, and it’s not unusual for people to apply it liberally to their food after it’s been served—just like salt and pepper.

What is vegan fish sauce made from?

The key ingredient in fish sauce may be fermented fish, but there are ways to replicate its signature flavor without using animal ingredients. Often, recipes are made with seaweed to get that distinct seafood flavor. Dried shiitake mushrooms can add an element of earthiness. Salt, of course, is a must. 

How to make vegan fish sauce

There are a number of recipes available to guide you through the process of making vegan fish sauce. There’s this one from Minimalist Baker, for example, which uses sea salt, shiitake mushrooms, dulse seaweed, chickpea miso, and tamari. Or this one from The Foodie Takes Flight, which simply uses coconut sugar, sea salt, lime juice, and red chili.

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Minimalist Baker

When you’ve made your vegan fish sauce, one of the most popular ways to use it is in pad Thai. Follow this recipe for a sweet, savory, saucy, and satisfying pad Thai, featuring vegan fish sauce and crispy pan-fried tofu. 

Vegan fish sauce brands

If you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, or you’d simply rather buy fish sauce than make it, it is possible to find vegan versions of fish sauce online or on store shelves. Here, we’ve gathered a few of the best brands on the market, in no particular order.

1 Ocean’s Halo

For fishy snacks and sauces without, well, the fish, Ocean’s Halo is one of the best brands to check out. It offers a range of seaweed-based snacks, as well as vegan broth, dressings, marinades, and, of course, its own Vegan Fish Sauce. The kelp-based recipe is totally soy-free, organic, and gluten-free.
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Nature’s Charm

2Nature’s Charm

Nature’s Charm is a pantry staple, perhaps best known for its line of dairy-free condensed milks and sweet sauces (think chocolate fudge, caramel, and butterscotch). But this go-to brand also makes fish sauce. Seaweed imparts a fishy flavor, perfect for stir-fries, noodles, marinades, and beyond.

24Vegan

324Vegan

Woman-owned 24Vegan credits Australia-grown soybeans and a secret fermentation process passed down through generations for the rich, umami flavor of its fish-less sauce. Its simple ingredient list also includes cane sugar and sea salt.
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4 Best of Thailand 

For depth of flavor, Best of Thailand’s vegetarian fish sauce is one of the best condiments you can have on hand. Fermented soybeans are the secret ingredient—they are combined with seaweed to get that authentic and deliciously fishy taste.
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Earthly Gourmet

5 Earthly Gourmet

Based in Portland, OR, Earthly Gourmet is on a mission to make vegan foods more accessible in the Pacific Northwest. Its popular range of products includes Tofuna Fysh sauce, which is a vegan fish sauce made with ingredients like seaweed, tamari, horseradish, and pineapple juice.
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6 Au Lac 

For authentic Southeast Asian vegan fish sauce, check out Au Lac, one of the leading manufacturers of vegan food in Vietnam. Made with just three ingredients (soybeans, water, and salt), this sauce will add that delicious and highly sought-after umami element to any dish.
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Sozyë

7 Sozyë

British brand Sozyë was founded by Jacob Thundil, who is also the brains behind the popular coconut water brand Cocofina. During lockdown in 2020, he decided to use Scottish seaweed as a soy replacement in sauces and created three different organic, soy-free products: Noya (a soy sauce alternative), Noyster (an oyster sauce alternative), and Nish (a fish sauce alternative). According to Sozyë, Nish is brewed in the UK using sustainable seaweed to “capture the taste of the sea.”

Chilli Mash Company

8 Chilli Mash Company

Another British brand, the Chilli Mash Company is best known for, you guessed it, chili mash (a fermented mixture of fresh chili peppers and salt). But it also includes several other condiments and sauces, including Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce, Habanero Chilli Jam, and non-chili related products, like Vfish, a totally vegan fish sauce alternative made with two types of seaweed.